Ellie Holcomb is a doting mother of one little girl and the expectant mother of a second little one due in July, hailing from sunny Nashville, Tennessee. After touring with her husband Drew and his band, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, God opened doors for Ellie to write and sing her own music. Even though a music career wasn’t her plan for her life, it was God’s; and now Ellie wouldn’t have it any other way. Her debut solo studio album, As Sure as the Sun, and her sweet spirit led to her winning the Best New Artist at the 2014 Dove Awards. We were blessed to get to ask Ellie a few questions and really understand her heart for the Lord, for His daughters, and for His praise.
Crown of Beauty: How did you get started in music?
Ellie: I’m an accidental musician. I actually set out to avoid
the music business altogether, swearing I’d never marry a musician
and pursuing a Master’s in Education. My husband initially
convinced me to quit my job to join his band, and what we thought
would be a year-long diversion turned into a decade of making music
together, and separately. When I tried to quit my husband’s band to
be a stay at home mom, God began opening up all sorts of doors to
share the music I’d been writing on my own, with the world. It’s a
joy, and although I never thought I’d be doing this, I am grateful
to get to remind myself and others of the promises of God by writing
and playing music.
Crown of Beauty: How do you balance family and touring?
Ellie:
It is a feat, that’s for sure. We are so grateful to have the
support of our families and an amazing nanny to walk with us through
this crazy season. This balance is something we are constantly
praying through and evaluating, and we’re grateful to know that God
is a good dad to us and to our little girl, even during seasons when
we can’t all be together.
Crown of Beauty: Where do you like to write your songs?
Ellie: I most often begin songs in the car, on planes, and usually after spending time in God’s word.
Crown of Beauty: What is your favorite song from As Sure as the Sun?
Ellie:
The title track, “As Sure As the Sun” is probably the closest to
my heart. When my husband and I started dreaming about having a
family of our own, I wanted to write a song that would carry the
truths that I hoped this little person I was dreaming about would
know in the very depths of their being. As it turns out, they’re
the promises that I need to remember most as well…the promise of
God’s presence in the heights of our joy and in the depths of our
suffering, and the promise of God’s unending mercy (Hos. 6:3 &
Lam.3:22-24). It’s the song that I now sing to our little girl
every night before I put her to bed, and it’s the song that often
rings true with me, even when I feel like a failure as a mom, or a
friend, or a follower of Jesus.
Crown of Beauty: What is the story behind "With You Now"?
Ellie:
I wrote "With You Now" with a dear friend of mine, Jillian Edwards
Chapman. We were thinking about how beautiful the promise of
Emmanuel, "God with us," is. Jillian had told this story about how her
twin brother had his heart broken at college one year and had written
all of these heart-break songs. She remembered sitting with their two
other sisters on his bed just all singing harmonies to his sad songs.
We were marveling at the way God often reveals Himself through His
people and wrote the song from that place of knowing God to be
faithful, even in the midst of our loneliest seasons.
Crown of Beauty: What is your favorite part about live shows?
Ellie:
I am always amazed by how music connects our stories. What an honor
to get to perform and see your songs resonate with other people! I
love hearing people’s stories after the show as well, and I will never
stop being humbled by and grateful for this opportunity!
Crown of Beauty: Have you ever struggled with identity? Self-worth? What would you say to girls who do?
Ellie:
Nope. Never. YEAH RIGHT!!! It is a daily battle for me to take
thoughts captive and point myself back to the truth about who HE says that I am and how HE loves me. All I can say in this serious battle in which we all fight for worth, is that the more time I spend looking into the
face and heart of God, the better off I am. It changes
everything when you are reminding yourself over and over again that
you are deeply adored, chosen, and cherished by someone who knows you
better than you even know yourself! I’d say that even though it’s
hard, battling to claim your true identity is one of the best and
most important fights we’ll face as women. Keep up the good fight!
Crown of Beauty: How did you know Drew was "the one"?
Ellie: He was my best guy friend I swore I’d never date, but he had been such a good friend to me that I began to get sad at the thought of dating anyone else, because I would miss his friendship so much. I was amazed on our first date by how natural the whole thing felt. Peace describes the feeling well. I never grappled with whether or not we should be together forever because my heart felt total peace in a way I’d never experienced before in a relationship. It was our second date when he said this to me: “Ellie, I’m crazy about you and I want to love you really well, but I’m just a man. I’m going to fail you, hurt you, and disappoint you. I don’t want to do any of those things, but I’m only human. So I need you to run as hard as you can after a relationship with Jesus because He’s going to be able to love you far better than I’ll ever be able to, and I want you to be loved the best.” I knew that I’d found a man who would point me, over and over again, to Jesus, the Author and definition of love itself.
Favorite...
Color? Blue
Food? Frozen blueberries
Starbucks? Skinny Hazelnut Latte
Bible passage? Hos. 6:3
Place? Our home in Nashville or the beach (any beach!)
Disney Princess? Maid
Marian from Robin Hood, or Ana from Frozen
Other artists' song? "Your Love is Strong" - Jon Foreman
& "He's Always Been Faithful" - Sara Groves
Connect
with Ellie!
Twitter: @ellieholcomb
Instagram:
@ellieholcomb
Facebook:
Ellie Holcomb
Website:
www.ellieholcomb.com